The Los Angeles Lakers are exploring a number of options to upgrade their roster and get their rebuilding program up and running as smoothly as possible.
Here are three directions L.A. could go.
Trade the No. 7 pick to Philadelphia
ESPN Insider Chad Ford (subscription required) reports that the "Lakers have strong interest in a package of [Michael] Carter-Williams and Thaddeus Young for the No. 7 pick and Steve Nash," but "so far there hasn't been any traction on that deal."
The thinking is that with Joel Embiid likely free-falling out of the top five, the Sixers may lose out on their intended target—Andrew Wiggins—and instead select top international prospect Dante Exum.
Exum's addition would make Carter-Williams expendable, and Philly could use the reigning Rookie of the Year as bait to snare a third top-10 selection in Thursday's draft.
While also giving up Thaddeus Young may be unpalatable for the Sixers, a straight swap of MCW for the No. 7 pick is an intriguing possibility for both sides.
From the Lakers' perspective, this would come down to whether they believe last season's top rookie is better than any of the players who would be available to them with the seventh pick.
This may initially seem like a no-brainer, but Carter-Williams' value at the moment is overinflated.
He was crowned as the best of one of the worst rookie classes (subscription required) in NBA history.
Also, you must factor in that his numbers got a massive boost from Philly's league-leading pace and the utter lack of NBA talent around him, which gave him the ultimate green light to do as he pleased.
Carter-Williams' inefficiency was glaring. He had the 12th-worst turnover ratio and the second-worst effect...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
